Revellers 'unaware of St Patrick'

Almost two-thirds of people celebrating St Patrick's Day have no idea who the priest was, a survey claims.
Guinness sales rise dramatically every year on 17 March as people across the world mark the event.

But its true meaning has been forgotten - or never learnt - by many, according to the Manchester Irish Festival.

Organisers quizzed 2,000 people taking part in its festival parade but only 40% knew of the Christian missionary, who is the patron saint of Ireland....

Folklore tells how the priest, who was eventually elevated to the post of bishop, drove snakes out of Ireland.

The story is thought to symbolise his role in the conversion of the population to Christianity.

St Patrick is traditionally associated with the Shamrock plant, which he used to explain the concept of the Holy Trinity.